Two of the teams selecting near the top of the 2012 NFL Draft have let it be known they will be listening when the phone rings with trade offers.
The decision-makers for the St. Louis Rams, picking second overall, and the Minnesota Vikings (third) have done little to hide their openness to the possibilities.
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Rams coach Jeff Fisher anticipates the interest from other teams, and told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he's open to trading the pick, knowing the team's decision will play a large part in determining the future of the franchise.
"There are going to be teams that have some interest in that pick," Fisher said. "What we do will define the future of this franchise moving forward. If we stay there who do we take, if we move down who do we take. What if we move down and come back up. That's going to define the future.
"Because I promise you this. We will not be picking second again. This is the last time we're picking second."
Like the Rams before them with Sam Bradford, the Vikings also have what they believe is a franchise quarterback in place in Christian Ponder and plenty of other holes to fill. Rick Spielman, who was recently promoted to general manager, told NFL Network the Vikings will be willing listeners.
"It will be, I think, very busy on draft day, and we're the third overall pick" Spielman said. "We're going to be looking at all the options. If someone wants to come up and get our pick, we're going to be more than willing to listen."
The implementation of the rookie wage scale as a part of the new collective bargaining agreement has made it more feasible for teams to trade into the top 10 picks without enormous guaranteed contracts killing deals. The Atlanta Falcons (No. 6) and Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 10) traded into the top 10 during the 2011 NFL Draft, the first under the new rules.
Given the likelihood that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is first overall selection by the Indianapolis Colts, teams looking to move up would be doing so for the right to select top-rated prospects like Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, Oklahoma St. wide receiver Justin Blackmon or LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, among others.
